New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin waves to fans at the Giants NFL football training facility Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. A day earlier, the Giants defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

The biggest question facing the team wasn't about rallying to make the playoffs. The question everyone asked and many demanded: Would head coach Tom Coughlin be fired after such a disappointing season?

Now Coughlin is the toast of New York after the Giants pulled out a 21-17 win over New England in Super Bowl XLVI.

Coughlin, 65, is 5-1 against the Patriots' Bill Belichick, including 2-0 in Super Bowls.

Rather than worrying about his job, Coughlin could be getting another contract extension.

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"I'm just trying to do my job the best I possibly can do it, thank you very much," Coughlin said Monday.

Matched set

Coughlin has two Super Bowl victories as the Giants' head coach, tying Bill Parcells for the most in team history.

"I'm not about comparisons or anything of that nature," Coughlin said. "I'm just thankful and very grateful for the opportunity I've had to coach the New York Giants."

In Coughlin's first Super Bowl with the Giants, XLII, they defeated New England 17-14.

"Each one is unique," he said. "This one is just as exciting, probably more so because of the kind of year we had."

And what a year 2011 was. It almost didn't have a happy ending.

After plummeting to 7-7, the Giants had two games remaining, against the Jets and Cowboys.

"Sometimes, you just need a wake-up call," defensive end Justin Tuck said.

They awoke in time for a 29-14 victory over the Jets. Then the Giants needed to win their last game, a winner-takes-all matchup with Dallas. They defeated the Cowboys 31-14 to win the NFC East.

"All season, we kept our confidence," said quarterback Eli Manning, who was voted the Super Bowl MVP for the second time. "When you lose four games in a row, that can really test a team.

"I think we recognized that and still understood that we were a good team. We weren't playing our best at that point, but we weren't playing terrible. We just had to make a few adjustments, play a little smarter. We just needed some wins. That Dallas game was a huge win for us."

Top competition

In the playoffs, the Giants beat the Falcons at home and the Packers and 49ers on the road. That's three teams with a combined record of 38-10.

Manning's best throw came on the first play of the game-winning drive. With the Giants at their 12, he completed a 38-yard pass down the left side to Mario Manningham, who made a fabulous catch while double covered.

In their first Super Bowl victory over the Patriots, Manning and receiver David Tyree collaborated on one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history - the long pass over the middle that led to Manning's winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress.

"I'm not good at ranking my throws," Manning said. "I wasn't worried about whether it would be an interception or a dangerous throw when the ball was released. I saw a window. I felt confident about it.

"I just saw where Mario was and knew the timing. A lot of those throws are muscle memory. You don't think about how far to throw it or what to do. You see your receiver, you step, you make the throw and, hopefully, you put it in a good spot where he can catch it. He made a great play."

Remarkable Super Bowl catches aren't the only similarity in Manning's two championship seasons.

"Like the 2007 season, we started off fast, then we did hit a rocky road where we weren't playing our best football," Manning said. "But when we needed a win, we came together as a team when the playoffs started.

"I think we had a great confidence going into the playoffs and realized that we had kind of found our way, our style of football that was going to give us the best chance of winning.

"I think both sides of the ball had great confidence in each other. We knew that we could be patient. We knew that we could not force things, not try to make mistakes and we would help out each other. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened and gave us a chance to win the game."

Elite company

The Giants became the fifth team - and fourth from the NFC - to win at least four Super Bowls: